KEXP Live at Iceland Airwaves 2017, Day 3: Högni

Rounding out night three of the Iceland Airwaves broadcast live from Kex Hostel is prolific Icelandic songwriter Högni Egilsson. Known for Hjaltalín and GusGus (and his incredible head of hair), Högni is no stranger to KEXP, having performed for us with all of his major musical projects. Högni describes himself as a bit of a musical amoeba, able to fit into a variety of projects. His new solo album, Two Trains (Erased Tapes), released just a couple weeks ago, is a new direction for him—creating a lovely, textured sound to highlight his soulful voice.

Every inch of the Kex bar was packed with people eager to check out Högni’s new work. Looking like the picture portrait of his viking ancestors, with long, icy-blonde hair and a full beard, his soulful voice is definitely the star of the show. The entire performance was incredibly emotive, Högni’s stunning voice soaring over beautiful digital clicks, beats and tones provided by Icelandic artist President Bongo. The music is subtle and complex, at times flowing like water, other times getting spacey over crunchy beats. The audience was absolutely enthralled, boding well for the future of this project. What a lovely way to end the night!

Join us tomorrow for more live video of four more fantastic Airwaves acts, beginning with legendary Icelandic rocker Megas at 1pm local time/6am PST/9am EST.